Dawood Ibrahim's aide Farooq Takla sent to police custody till March 19

Pic courtesy: ANI

Mumbai: Dawood Ibrahim's aide Farooq Takla, who was arrested on Thursday by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was sent to police custody till March 19 by TADA court in Mumbai.

Takla arrived in New Delhi from Dubai and was arrested by the CBI when he was at an immigration counter at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

While the CBI declined to comment on how he reached Delhi as an Interpol Red Corner notice was pending against him, officials said Farooq was deported from the UAE with the help of central intelligence agencies and put on a flight to Delhi, PTI reported.

The role of Farooq in the D-company was not clear, but some officials said that he used to look after the Dubai operations of the underworld don.

Farooq was later taken to Mumbai and produced before the designated court hearing the case of 1993 serial blasts that left 257 dead beside damaging property to the tune of Rs 82 crore.

Immediately after the blasts, Dawood, who was the main accused in the case, and others escaped to Dubai and later to Pakistan.

India's sustained campaign against the underworld don was finally acknowledged by America in 2003 when the US Treasury department declared him a global terrorist having links with al Qaeda. He also faces sanctions from the United Nations under its anti-terror resoution.

Vindicating India's position that Pakistan has been sheltering Dawood, the Treasury Department had said he was in Karachi and possessed a Pakistani passport under the individual category.

(With PTI inputs)